diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index f1ce31e404b..0a226af20be 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -33,6 +33,14 @@ Never use vague names like `helpers`, `utils`, `common`, `misc`, or `shared-stuf
 
 ## Type Declarations: Prefer `.ts` Over `.d.ts`
 
+## Type Assertions: Prefer Checked Types
+
+Avoid type assertions except `as const`. Unavoidable casts need a line-specific `SAFETY:` explanation:
+
+```ts
+// oxlint-disable-next-line typescript/consistent-type-assertions -- SAFETY: Explain the verified invariant here.
+```
+
 # Verifying Changes
 
 - **Typecheck**: `pnpm tc` (or `tc:node` / `tc:cli` / `tc:web`)
diff --git a/config/oxlint-code-quality-casting.json b/config/oxlint-code-quality-casting.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..3db01c3a04d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/oxlint-code-quality-casting.json
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+{
+  "$schema": "../node_modules/oxlint/configuration_schema.json",
+  "plugins": ["typescript"],
+  "categories": {
+    "correctness": "off",
+    "suspicious": "off",
+    "pedantic": "off",
+    "perf": "off",
+    "style": "off",
+    "restriction": "off",
+    "nursery": "off"
+  },
+  "rules": {
+    "typescript/consistent-type-assertions": ["error", { "assertionStyle": "never" }]
+  },
+  "ignorePatterns": ["**/node_modules", "**/dist", "**/out"]
+}
diff --git a/config/scripts/casting-code-quality.test.mjs b/config/scripts/casting-code-quality.test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a9be7bf7c80
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/scripts/casting-code-quality.test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,153 @@
+import { spawnSync } from 'node:child_process'
+import { mkdtempSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs'
+import path from 'node:path'
+import { expect, it } from 'vitest'
+import {
+  OXLINT_SCANS,
+  diagnosticTouchesAddedLines,
+  findCastingDirectivesMissingSafety,
+  isCastingDirectiveUnusedWarning
+} from './check-changed-code-quality.mjs'
+import { resolveOxlintInvocation } from './oxlint-cli-invocation.mjs'
+
+const root = path.resolve(import.meta.dirname, '..', '..')
+const oxlint = resolveOxlintInvocation(root)
+const rule = 'typescript(consistent-type-assertions)'
+const ruleName = 'typescript/consistent-type-assertions'
+// Built rather than written out so no line here is itself a casting directive the gate would scan.
+const directive = (reason) => `// oxlint-disable-next-line ${ruleName} -- ${reason}`
+const trailingDirective = (reason) => `// oxlint-disable-line ${ruleName} -- ${reason}`
+
+function lint(file, args = []) {
+  const result = spawnSync(
+    oxlint.command,
+    [...oxlint.prefixArgs, ...args, '--format', 'json', file],
+    { cwd: root, encoding: 'utf8', windowsHide: true }
+  )
+  expect(result.error).toBeUndefined()
+  return { status: result.status, diagnostics: JSON.parse(result.stdout).diagnostics }
+}
+
+it.each(['config', 'mobile'])('enforces new casts without changing full lint in %s', (parent) => {
+  const directory = mkdtempSync(path.join(root, parent, 'casting-lint-test-'))
+  const file = path.join(directory, 'fixture.test.ts')
+  try {
+    writeFileSync(
+      file,
+      [
+        "export const oldCast = { current: '⌘N' as string | null }",
+        'export const doubleCast = undefined as unknown as string',
+        "export const annotated: { current: string | null } = { current: '⌘N' }",
+        "export const constant = { current: '⌘N' } as const",
+        "export const checked = { current: '⌘N' } satisfies { current: string | null }",
+        directive('SAFETY: Exercise the explicit exception.'),
+        'export const justified = undefined as unknown'
+      ].join('\n')
+    )
+
+    const full = lint(file)
+    expect(full.status).toBe(0)
+    expect(full.diagnostics.filter((diagnostic) => diagnostic.code === rule)).toEqual([])
+
+    const scan = OXLINT_SCANS.find((candidate) => candidate.label === 'casting code quality')
+    expect(scan).toBeDefined()
+    const casting = lint(file, scan.args)
+    expect(casting.status).toBe(1)
+    expect(casting.diagnostics).toHaveLength(3)
+    expect(casting.diagnostics.every((diagnostic) => diagnostic.code === rule)).toBe(true)
+
+    const relative = path.relative(root, file).split(path.sep).join('/')
+    const changed = new Map([[relative, [{ start: 2, end: 2 }]]])
+    const findings = casting.diagnostics.filter((diagnostic) =>
+      diagnosticTouchesAddedLines(diagnostic, changed, root)
+    )
+    expect(findings).toHaveLength(2)
+    expect(findings.every((diagnostic) => diagnostic.severity === 'error')).toBe(true)
+
+    writeFileSync(file, 'export const angle = <string>undefined\n')
+    expect(lint(file).status).toBe(1)
+    expect(lint(file, scan.args).diagnostics.map((diagnostic) => diagnostic.code)).toEqual([rule])
+  } finally {
+    rmSync(directory, { recursive: true, force: true })
+  }
+})
+
+it("exempts the SAFETY: directive from the untyped scan's unused-directive warning", () => {
+  const directory = mkdtempSync(path.join(root, 'config', 'casting-lint-test-'))
+  const file = path.join(directory, 'fixture.test.ts')
+  try {
+    writeFileSync(
+      file,
+      [
+        directive('SAFETY: Verified invariant.'),
+        'export const justified = undefined as unknown',
+        ''
+      ].join('\n')
+    )
+
+    const scan = OXLINT_SCANS.find((candidate) => candidate.label === 'code quality')
+    const untyped = lint(file, scan.args)
+    const unused = untyped.diagnostics.filter((diagnostic) =>
+      diagnostic.message.startsWith('Unused oxlint-disable directive')
+    )
+
+    expect(unused).toHaveLength(1)
+    expect(unused.every((diagnostic) => isCastingDirectiveUnusedWarning(diagnostic, root))).toBe(
+      true
+    )
+  } finally {
+    rmSync(directory, { recursive: true, force: true })
+  }
+})
+
+it('rejects a casting suppression on an added line that omits the SAFETY: rationale', () => {
+  const directory = mkdtempSync(path.join(root, 'config', 'casting-lint-test-'))
+  const file = path.join(directory, 'fixture.test.ts')
+  try {
+    writeFileSync(
+      file,
+      [
+        directive('no required prefix'),
+        'export const unchecked = undefined as unknown',
+        directive('SAFETY: Verified invariant.'),
+        'export const justified = undefined as unknown',
+        ''
+      ].join('\n')
+    )
+
+    const relative = path.relative(root, file).split(path.sep).join('/')
+    const findings = findCastingDirectivesMissingSafety(
+      root,
+      new Map([[relative, [{ start: 1, end: 4 }]]])
+    )
+
+    expect(findings.map((finding) => finding.labels[0].span.line)).toEqual([1])
+
+    // Unchanged lines stay out of the gate.
+    expect(
+      findCastingDirectivesMissingSafety(root, new Map([[relative, [{ start: 3, end: 4 }]]]))
+    ).toEqual([])
+  } finally {
+    rmSync(directory, { recursive: true, force: true })
+  }
+})
+
+// Why: an earlier pattern skipped a directive whose `//` sat right after a quote, which let an
+// unjustified cast through the gate -- the wrong failure direction for a gate.
+it('catches a trailing casting suppression that abuts a string literal', () => {
+  const directory = mkdtempSync(path.join(root, 'config', 'casting-lint-test-'))
+  const file = path.join(directory, 'fixture.test.ts')
+  try {
+    writeFileSync(file, `export const abutted = 'a'${trailingDirective('no required prefix')}\n`)
+
+    const relative = path.relative(root, file).split(path.sep).join('/')
+    const findings = findCastingDirectivesMissingSafety(
+      root,
+      new Map([[relative, [{ start: 1, end: 1 }]]])
+    )
+
+    expect(findings.map((finding) => finding.labels[0].span.line)).toEqual([1])
+  } finally {
+    rmSync(directory, { recursive: true, force: true })
+  }
+})
diff --git a/config/scripts/check-changed-code-quality.mjs b/config/scripts/check-changed-code-quality.mjs
index af4e9e82776..a1b5b2fc88a 100644
--- a/config/scripts/check-changed-code-quality.mjs
+++ b/config/scripts/check-changed-code-quality.mjs
@@ -8,6 +8,9 @@ import { resolveOxlintInvocation } from './oxlint-cli-invocation.mjs'
 
 const SOURCE_FILE_PATTERN = /\.(?:[cm]?[jt]sx?)$/
 const ROOT_CODE_QUALITY_IGNORED_PREFIXES = ['cloud/']
+const CASTING_RULE = 'typescript/consistent-type-assertions'
+const CASTING_DISABLE_PATTERN =
+  /\/[/*]\s*(?:oxlint|eslint)-disable(?:-next-line|-line)?\s[^\n]*typescript\/consistent-type-assertions/
 export const OXLINT_SCANS = [
   {
     // Why: no --config, so Oxlint keeps discovering nested configs. Pinning the root
@@ -15,6 +18,10 @@ export const OXLINT_SCANS = [
     label: 'code quality',
     args: ['--report-unused-disable-directives-severity', 'warn']
   },
+  {
+    label: 'casting code quality',
+    args: ['--config', 'config/oxlint-code-quality-casting.json']
+  },
   {
     label: 'type-aware code quality',
     args: ['--type-aware', '--config', 'config/oxlint-code-quality-type-aware.json']
@@ -303,6 +310,50 @@ function printDiagnostic(diagnostic, root) {
   console.error(`${file}:${line} ${code}: ${diagnostic.message}`)
 }
 
+// Why: only the casting scan enforces `assertionStyle: never`, so under the root config an
+// `as` cast is legal and the SAFETY: directive AGENTS.md mandates reads as unused. The untyped
+// scan reports that as a warning, which the gate counts, so exempt exactly those directives.
+export function isCastingDirectiveUnusedWarning(diagnostic, root) {
+  if (!/^Unused (?:oxlint|eslint)-disable/.test(diagnostic.message ?? '')) {
+    return false
+  }
+  return (diagnostic.labels ?? []).some((label) =>
+    diagnosticHighlightedLines(root, diagnostic.filename, label.span).some((line) =>
+      CASTING_DISABLE_PATTERN.test(line)
+    )
+  )
+}
+
+// Why: oxlint cannot see the AGENTS.md requirement that every casting suppression carry a
+// line-specific SAFETY: rationale, so the directive text itself is checked over added lines.
+export function findCastingDirectivesMissingSafety(root, rangesByFile) {
+  const findings = []
+  for (const [file, ranges] of rangesByFile) {
+    const absolutePath = path.join(root, file)
+    if (!existsSync(absolutePath)) {
+      continue
+    }
+    readFileSync(absolutePath, 'utf8')
+      .split(/\r?\n/)
+      .forEach((text, index) => {
+        const line = index + 1
+        if (
+          CASTING_DISABLE_PATTERN.test(text) &&
+          !text.includes('SAFETY:') &&
+          overlapsAddedLines(line, line, ranges)
+        ) {
+          findings.push({
+            filename: file,
+            code: `${CASTING_RULE} (missing SAFETY:)`,
+            message: `Suppressing ${CASTING_RULE} requires a line-specific "SAFETY:" explanation.`,
+            labels: [{ span: { line } }]
+          })
+        }
+      })
+  }
+  return findings
+}
+
 function isSuppressedDiagnostic(diagnostic, root) {
   const files = SUPPRESSED_REACT_DOCTOR_DIAGNOSTICS.get(diagnostic.code)
   return files?.has(normalizedDiagnosticPath(root, diagnostic.filename)) ?? false
@@ -344,6 +395,7 @@ export function main(
     const diagnostics = runOxlintScan(root, scan, files).filter(
       (diagnostic) =>
         !isSuppressedDiagnostic(diagnostic, root) &&
+        !isCastingDirectiveUnusedWarning(diagnostic, root) &&
         diagnosticTouchesAddedLines(diagnostic, rangesByFile, root, baseBlocks)
     )
     for (const diagnostic of diagnostics) {
@@ -355,6 +407,15 @@ export function main(
     )
   }
 
+  const missingSafety = findCastingDirectivesMissingSafety(root, rangesByFile)
+  for (const diagnostic of missingSafety) {
+    printDiagnostic(diagnostic, root)
+  }
+  failures += missingSafety.length
+  console.log(
+    `casting SAFETY: rationale: ${missingSafety.length} new finding(s) across ${files.length} changed file(s).`
+  )
+
   if (failures > 0) {
     console.error(
       `Changed-code quality gate failed with ${failures} finding(s) since ${comparisonBase.slice(0, 12)}.`